Air Canada has been steadily expanding its international network in recent years. The airline has added several new destinations so far this year and increased its presence across leisure markets. It is continuing this expansion with more additions for the 2026/27 winter season.

The carrier is introducing more sun destinations and new long-haul routes from across Canada. It has added more services to Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, and also introduced three new long-haul international routes, including flights to the Canary Islands and Japan’s popular ski destination of Sapporo.

Air Canada Adds Montreal–Tenerife

Credit: GCMapper

From October 31, when the northern winter season begins, Air Canada will launch a new nonstop route between Montréal–Trudeau International Airport and Tenerife South Airport. The route will connect the two cities for the first time and will operate twice-weekly during parts of the season. The service will be operated by the carrier’s 182-seat Airbus A321XLR, featuring 14 Signature Class seats and 168 Economy Class seats.

Air Canada initially planned a weekly service on the route but later added an additional frequency, which suggests the airline has seen sufficient forward booking demand for the new service. According to schedule data from Cirium, until January 23, 2027, it will operate the route only on Saturdays. The airline will then add a Tuesday frequency until March 23.

Toronto Also Gets Tenerife Service

Credit: Air Canada

Furthermore, Air Canada is also launching a twice-weekly service to Tenerife from its busiest hub, Toronto Pearson International Airport. The route will also be operated by the airline’s Airbus A321XLR and will run through the winter and into early spring, with the final departure from Toronto scheduled for April 29. Notably, the service will become the Canary Islands’ new longest nonstop route, covering 3,135 nautical miles (5,806 km) each way.

Canada had no nonstop routes to the Canary Islands until 2026, but the market will have four routes this year. Alongside Air Canada’s two new services, Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat is also commencing new services to the Canary Islands. Starting December, it will launch routes from Toronto and Montreal to Gran Canaria. The Montreal service will begin on December 12, followed by Toronto on December 13.

Both routes will operate weekly during the northern winter using the 199-seat Airbus A321LR. Indeed, the new services will give travelers more options between Canada and the Canary Islands, but it also raises questions about how sustainable all four routes will be once the initial demand for the new services settles.

Air Canada Adds Only North American Sapporo Link

Credit: Shutterstock

Perhaps the most interesting of Air Canada’s new winter routes is the one for travelers heading to the ski slopes of Hokkaido. From December, the airline will connect Vancouver International Airport with New Chitose Airport, which serves Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s northernmost island. It will be the only nonstop service between North America and Sapporo and the shortest route in Air Canada’s network to Asia, covering about 3,726 nautical miles (6,901 km) each way.

Air Canada will operate three weekly flights between Vancouver and New Chitose from December 17 through March 25, 2027. Flights will operate on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from Vancouver, with return flights on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The Star Alliance carrier will use a Boeing 787-9 on the route, with 20 Signature Class suites, 21 Premium Economy seats, and 214 Economy Class seats.

Until now, travelers flying from North America to New Chitose have generally needed to connect elsewhere in Asia (either through Tokyo or Seoul). Furthermore, the new winter service will complement its year-round flights to Tokyo-Narita and Tokyo-Haneda, as well as its seasonal summer service to Osaka-Kansai. The airline already offers the most seats between Canada and Japan.